What does it take to be a bariatric success?As an RHN who specializes in bariatric nutrition, I have heard this question many times over and I wish I had the exact right answer for you.There is not a “one size fits all” way to respond to this query.It is more about the journey and learning about yourself and what works for you.It is about making important changes to ensure success and not just doing the same thing you were doing before surgery.The surgery is the tool but we need to learn as much as we can about how use this important tool to achieve our short and long term goals.

What I do know for sure is that we all need to find what works for us as biochemical individuals after weight loss surgery.This is where you need to discover what this very personal journey is for you and means to.What works for you?Does drinking protein shakes for breakfast with added avocado keep you full and satisfied until lunch?Does taking a walk after dinner curb the cravings to eat something sweet?Does going to bed earlier help to keep the nighttime munchies at bay?

You will experience good times and bad times along the way. These are the ups and downs of bariatric surgery.During the bad times, you need to get up, dust yourself off and just keep on moving forward.You need to make a commitment to yourself and also to your health.Set goals for yourself.Make long term and short term goals.Reach for those goals each and every day.

Support during this journey is key to short and long term success.If you can find an at-home group or an online group, please do so and stick close to them.They are a valuable part of your journey and they will help to keep you on track and to keep you accountable.

Write everything down.Keep a food log and a journal and jot down everything you eat and drink. Make it a habit to write down your feelings and your plans as the days go by.Writing things down make you accountable to yourself.This is a way to stay on track even when it get tough and you feel yourself slipping.Taking a moment to write things down enable you to better understand yourself.

What does food mean to you?I think that a very important change that needs to be made to ensure success post surgery is the way we think about food.It is important to learn about proper nutrition and not just do the same things we were doing prior to surgery but on a smaller scale post surgery.Why should we stay away from refined carbohydrates and what is a refined carbohydrate?These are the things we should be learning early on in order to understand and think differently regarding food.

Congratulations– for taking your own health into your own hands.

About the Author: Sheri Burkeis a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients.In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.

Bariatric surgery is like a “new beginning” or a “fresh start” and it is a super exciting but also a super stressful experience for those going through it. Patients spend a lot of time prepping for surgery and they have maybe even spent years researching their procedure. Bariatric surgery is a life-changing journey and can have some amazing long term effects on a person’s life.

I totally understand how patients can feel once they hit their first weight loss plateau.That’s the place where the scale stops moving.That’s the place where no matter what they do, and no matter how perfect they are following the bariatric rules, the scale will not budge.

Why does this happen?The patients are not doing anything wrong so why does the scale plateau approximately 3 weeks after surgery?

Prior to surgery our patients need to follow a pre.op diet.This is to shrink the liver and make the surgery safer for them.The pre.op diet varies from surgeon to surgeon but in general they all follow some sort of rules such as: only liquids or low in carbs or high in protein or low in calories.

It is perfect to have a tiny shrunken liver prior to surgery but in general, the body does not want to maintain this small liver.It wants the liver to go back to the regular size.Our livers are so important, and have so many functions so the body wants to get the liver back to its regular size post surgery. How long does this take ?? You are right – it takes approximately 3 weeks.

Sometimes this plateau occurs a little bit before or a little bit after the 3 week mark and sometimes it lasts a few days or a few weeks. What’s important during this plateau is to continue following all of your post op guidelines.

It takes time to lose all the weight after any bariatric procedure.Try to stay focused on a slow and steady weight loss.In the beginning it comes off quickly and then it tends to slow down.When this happens, try to do the following:

Don’t step on the scale 3 times a day.Check your weight about two times a week.When the scale is not in use, hide it in your closet to be sure you are not constantly stepping on it.

Put your focus on super clean eating and learning about food and what is good for you to consume post surgery and why that food is good for you.These new eating habits are what will ensure success, short and long term.Be kind to your new tummy and enjoy your new healthy lifestyle.

When you look at your weight loss, it will look more like a set of stairs… drop, plateau, drop, plateau.You are going to lose weight on some days and on other days you will plateau.This is a normal part of the weight loss journey post bariatric surgery.

When you do hit that 3 week plateau, don’t fret.Take this like a regular part of your bariatric journey.Don’t be hard on yourself.Be proud of yourself.Enjoy your journey to health and wellness.

If you have specific questions, please reach out directly to me.I salute you on your journey to health and wellness. info@bariatricfoodexpert.com

Congratulations– for taking your own health into your own hands.

About the Author: Sheri Burkeis a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients.In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.

Let’s dive into some very important information.If you have had bariatric surgery, there is a chance that you could have a vitamin D deficiency following the surgery.Even before surgery, a lot of us experience the effects of a vitamin D deficiency.There are over 3 million cases each year in the US alone.

Once someone has had their intestinal tract shortened or changed, the chances of developing a vitamin deficiency becomes even higher than for just an average person.Vitamin D builds strong bones and this is why it is so important.With a lack of vitamin D, the body had difficulties to use calcium in an efficient manner.Most of the time, no symptoms are demonstrated and this makes the risk even more serious.Down the road problems can develop such as chronic joint pain, continuous fatigue, fractures, bone loss and even depression.

If you have had any sort of bariatric surgery, please get your doctor to take measurements of your vitamin D levels and stores.You need to know if you need a supplement or not.I always suggest to try to prevent any types of deficiencies before they develop instead of trying to fix it after you’ve started having uncomfortable symptoms.It can take months.Make an investment in your heath before troubles begin and take a regular specialized Vitamin D3 supplement from the Experts – the Bariatric Experts.

Bariatric Expert are super high quality products developed by bariatric professionals and geared to help you continue on your super healthy journey post bariatric surgery.

If you have specific questions, please reach out directly to me.I salute you on your journey to health and wellness. info@bariatricfoodexpert.com

Congratulations– for taking your own health into your own hands.

About the Author: Sheri Burkeis a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients.In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.

I can say that it is a balancing act when trying to lose weight.You want to eat the right foods, that give you the correct nutrients, to have the energy to exercise – which will in turn make you feel more motivated because you release happy chemicals like endorphins.Poor nutrient lacking diets and over-exercising is just not something that can be sustained.These types of routines keep you feeling demotivated and tired and lacking in energy.

I want to shout it from the rooftops “weight loss is a lifelong journey – it’s not the 100 yard dash.Let’s take small sustainable steps instead of going full steam ahead and running out of energy in a week or two.

A healthy diet is so important to long term weight loss success.If we choose to rely on only exercise to lower the numbers on the scale, we will be setting ourselves up for disappointment and unfulfilled goals.When it comes to losing weight and controlling our weight, exercise is only a small part of the equation.The quantity of calories we burn up each day is not about how much we move around.It is mostly up to the basal metabolic rate.This BMR makes up about 80% of the energy that we use on a daily basis.That means that only 20% of the calories we burn or the energy that we use comes down to the exercise that we do.

This is exactly what is meant by that old saying “you cannot outrun a bad diet”.We cannot purely rely on exercise and we need to focus on nutrition.Of course we need to exercise for our overall health.The best we can do is to combine an improvement in diet with exercise.This is the balancing act that we need to try to perform each day.

Focus on making long lasting improvements in your diet, which will in turn give you the energy to exercise, which in turn will help you lose weight and improve your health.

If you have specific questions, please reach out directly to me.I salute you on your journey to health and wellness. info@bariatricfoodexpert.com

Congratulations– for taking your own health into your own hands.

About the Author: Sheri Burkeis a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients.In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.

Why don’t we ever crave a plate of chicken and cauliflower and why do we crave salt, sugar and fat? Here are a few reasons why we want that piece of chocolate cake/ push over broccoli.

Why is it that there are periods in our life where we are cruising along happily consuming our salads and grilled chicken and other times where we cannot convince ourselves that the french fries and burger we are about to consume are less about hunger and more about cravings ?

There are a couple of different things working against us when we have specific cravings.There is the emotion side of things – for example “My Monday Sucks” and then there is a physiological factor – for example “The chocolate actually makes me feel good after I eat it”.

What’s going on ? and how can we get back on track after experiencing a few weeks of disorganized eating ?Those cravings you are having are not always your fault and sometimes they happen because we are experiencing a lack in specific nutrients and vitamins.Those same nutrients and vitamins can actually regulate how you are feeling and why you are eating.

Why don’t we ever crave a plate of chicken and cauliflower and why do we crave salt, sugar and fat? Our bodies don’t need a bag of gummy bears but we tend to not listen to what it really needs.Did you know that when you eat sugar, your body uses magnesium molecules to assimilate it?If you are eating tons of sugar, it could mean that you are lacking magnesium.This is a perfect example of what a sugar craving “could mean”.

When a food craving strikes next time, sit down and really think about what you actually need.Do you feel stressed and crave cake ?Is it the emotional stress that is leading you to crave the cake?If you reflect like this, you can better understand when is happening with your body and in turn help to control those cravings, giving your body what is actually needs and not just giving into a craving.

Here are some examples to think about.

MAGNESIUM – there are a lot of us that are deficient in magnesium.More than 80% of us are walking around with too little magnesium.When we are stressed or exercising a lot or eating a lot of sugar, we can deplete our magnesium levels.Magnesium works together with calcium. Calcium is an excitatory molecule and magnesium is its counterpart behaving as a calming molecule. If we are not balanced between these two minerals, it can lead us to feel moody.

If you have cravings for sweets and if you have aches and pains or low energy, you might just need some additional magnesium.Eat sesame seeds, almonds, avocados, spinach, kale and broccoli.

ZINC – Zinc is the mineral required for many bodily reactions.It also works to maintain mood and memory.Zinc is so important yet we cannot store it in our body so we need to focus on getting those foods which are high in zinc on a regular basis.When we are feeling stressed, zinc is eliminated through our saliva, sweat and urine.Low zinc levels can be linked to depression.

VITAMIN B12 – 25% of Americans and Canadians are low in B12.B12 is linked to energy levels, mood levels and memory levels.We need to have a strong stomach acid to be able to break down and assimilate B12.This may be the reason why so many people are deficient in Vitamin B12.You can only get B12 by eating animal proteins.This is why vegetarians are vegans need to supplement to get sufficient B12 in their diets.

If you find yourself bruising easily or craving a steak or if you have low energy, you may be one of the 25% of us who require higher levels of vitamin B12.If this sounds like you, eat more pasture raised chicken, turkey and eggs and organic grass fed meat.

VITAMIN D – We all think of the sun when we think of Vitamin D.Vitamin D is the “sun vitamin”. When we expose our skin to the sun, Vitamin D is activated and produces elements that make us feel happier.People with low Vitamin D stores are more likely to feel depressed.

If you are catching more colds or sore throats than normal, or if you are in a low mood, you may have your Vitamins D levels low.To increase vitamin D, eat fatty fish like mackerel and salmon, and eat eggs – whole eggs, because the Vitamin D is in the egg yolks. Also, remember to get outdoors and expose your skin to the sun for 10 to 15 minutes.This also helps to raise Vitamin D levels.

We can dive even deeper into this topic as there are many other nutrient deficiencies – if you have specific questions, please reach out directly to me with your questions:

About the Author: Sheri Burkeis a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients.In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.

Isn’t it strange how post surgery you can be happily eating chicken breast and then the next day if feels hard and uncomfortable on your surgically altered tummy ?

I speak with bariatric clients every day and they often ask this question: Why is it that I could eat chicken yesterday and then today when I went to eat it, it was very hard to stomach ?My question to them is always: how was the chicken cooked yesterday ?was it broiled or grilled, or was it stewed or simmered ?If you can get more moisture into the chicken breast, it will be easier to eat over just eating it dry.

Taking the time to really chew your food will make a big difference on how it feels when it hits your stomach.If you can help your tummy with the digestive process by chewing your food better, it will feel better and more comfortable.

Do you notice how when you are stressed,your shoulders raise up ?well your tummy also responds to stress and it can tighten the upper part of the digestives system and make your food more difficult to digest.Have you ever noticed how after you drink a glass of wine, you are more relaxed and can eat more food ? or how on the weekends, your stomach can hold so much more food ?Ah ha !It is interesting and very true.Try taking a couple of deep breaths prior to eating and relax yourself.Take your time and focus on staying in the moment.

Do you tend to multitask while you eat your meals ?You probably should be only eating and not typing or talking on the phone.If you are distracted, it’s possible that you are not focusing on chewing and helping your digestion.Stop reading your emails and just focus on the task at hand, eating and chewing your food well while enjoying it.

In the beginning, the honeymoon period post surgery is going to last for about a year.Enjoy the feeling of a lot of restriction in the beginning and learn how to use your tool while watching the weight fall off.After the first year, stick with solid proteins, vegetables and healthy fats in order to continue feeling the restriction that the pouch offers.Make friends with your pouch. You two are going to be friends for a long time to come.

I salute all of you – for taking your own health into your own hands.

About the Author: Sheri Burkeis a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients.In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.

Have you ever had a weight loss journal or considered starting one ?I know you have heard about how journaling can be a big motivator for weight loss but have you actually tried it ?Writing down your goals and putting a plan in place is the way to get started.A weight loss journal might just be your key to bariatric success.Use some of the ideas below to get started but also use your own intuition and imagination to create a private place that enables you to write it all down and get motivated.

Pick out a notebook or a journal that feels comfortable to you.Pick a color that motivates you and next make a decision of what format your weight loss journal is going to take.You want to start by putting the dates and then logging everything you eat and drink but you can take it even further than that.You can also add macronutrient data for each food item or drink item you consume.If you are not into “pen and paper”, there are plenty of Apps that are designed for food journaling.

Another thing to add will be your portion sizes.This is a great thing to add as it forces you in the beginning to map out exactly what a portion size looks like.With time you will be able to just eyeball the portion and know how big it is.

What time do you consume your meals at ?Write down the times that you eat at but also consider taking note of how long it takes you to consume each meal.You will start paying more attention to the fact that most of us eat too quickly.

Take note of how hungry you are prior to a meal or a snack.Give it a rating of 1-5 and get in touch with whether you are eating because you are actually hungry or if you are eating out of boredom.Most of us eat out of boredom and never allow ourselves to feel true hunger.

Do you eat your emotions ?are you eating in response to something or are you eating due to actual hunger ?Most of us never even stop for a moment to evaluate before we eat.Have you ever had a specific stressful situation occur and then find yourself with your hand at the bottom of the chip bag and not even understand how you got there ?

You can use your imagination to create a private space – a space for you to learn more about yourself and to help you reach your goals.Stay motivated and reach out to me at any time.I am your biggest cheerleader !

About the Author: Sheri Burkeis a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients.In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.

The newest buzzword is “lifestyle medicine”.So what’s this all about ?How can my lifestyle be a medicine ?Research tells us that a life of good health is about making important changes in nutrition and exercise as well as managing stress.Let’s discuss some of the ways we can make these changes and improve our overall health.

Power of positive thinking

A positive attitude can go a long way to keeping you healthy.If you focus on the positive your body will believe you and follow suit.A good attitude can boost your health and a healthy immune system.Think good thoughts and your body will follow.

Veggies down the hatch

Eat your veggies.Eat them raw, baked, stir-fried.When you choose to eat a diet rich in veggies, you are reducing your risk of developing certain kinds of cancers.Vegetables are packed with phytonutrients so grab the veg with the brightest colors.Eat a rainbow of vegetables.

Sleep is free medicine

I believe that the best medicine is free and it is your sleep so try to get your zzzzz’s.Get a sleep schedule and follow it.Set your bedtime and then turn off all devices an hour before bed.Sleep hygiene can help to give sleeping the importance it deserves.Dim the room, and make sure the temperature is not too high.Help your body to relax through relaxation techniques.Get a plan in place and make sleep a priority.

Food comes first and supplements come second

We cannot eat a bad diet and then believe that a supplement will make up for the vitamins and nutrients we are not consuming.Focus on a good, strong, healthy diet and then supplement on top of your healthy diet.Supplements do not ever replace food – they support food.

Healthy company keeps healthy company

People who have unhealthy habits tend to gravitate to others with those same unhealthy habits.If you don’t want to eat fast food everyday, then it’s important that your BFF is in line with that same thinking.You want your friends to “lift you up”, not bring you down.If you are making a lifestyle change towards living more healthy, get your family and friends on board so that you are all moving in the same direction.

Tiny steps over big leaps and bounds

It can feel so overwhelming because we are constantly flooded with tons of health advice.Instead of feeling the overwhelm, make small steps each day.Those small steps make a big difference in the big picture.Take a 5 minute walk.Drink a glass of water when starting your day.Skip the double frappuccino at StarBucks. Give yourself a healthy morning mantra.Take a few deep breaths.Don’t allow overwhelm to derail your goals to get healthier.

About the Author: Sheri Burkeis a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients.In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.

Are you taking your vitamins after your weight loss surgery ?What happened ?In the beginning clients are so very concerned about which vitamins to take and their formulations and how much they should take of each one.Why is it that a few months post surgery, those same vitamins take a back seat ?Is it because they don’t like the taste, or the size of the pill, or the price of the formulations ?

I am going to give a gentle reminder and let everybody know that they should be taking their vitamins after surgery. I am also going to tell them which vitamins they should take and I will add the links below where they can be found at an affordable price.

I know you are trying to eat well and that you are balancing your macronutrients and doing your best to eat all your veggies but the fact is that we are not perfect and that we have days where all we have is a bagel with cream cheese for lunch.You no longer have the capacity to eat larger meals so how will you get in the micronutrients which your body requires ?

If you had the sleeve procedure, your main tool is the restriction and if you are full after eating a small portion and if that small portion wasn’t perfectly designed with vitamins and minerals, then where are you going to get them ?

If you had the mini gastric bypass or full gastric bypass procedure, then you are dealing with restriction PLUS malabsorption.Even if you have a perfectly designed plate, your body is not absorbing all of those wonderful nutrients.

The signs of nutrient deficiency are not obvious but it looks something like this …

You are lacking in a specific nutrient.

You do not have the specific nutrient stored in your body.

Your body begins to have difficulty working properly.

You are not feeling 100% and you have a nutrient deficiency.

Sometimes it takes weeks and sometimes it takes months to start feeling “unwell” due to a nutrient deficiency.Let’s say that you stopped taking your multivitamin which contains iron.You wouldn’t know the next day that you are developing a deficiency.It will take time but eventually, you will feel burnt out and you may blame it on your lifestyle or work schedule.You continue feeling poorly and consider that you are not getting sufficient sleep.Next you see that your hair doesn’t have that same shine it used to and you feel increasing exhausted.A visit to your doctor and a blood test will show the signs of anemia.Sure,you will once again begin to take your supplements but trying to reverse this when you have it can take months.This is the cascade of nutrient deficiencies.

Why put your body through all of this ?Just be kind to it and take your vitamins.Take the type of vitamins which are best absorbed and assimilated by your body and take the type of vitamins which have a better taste.A better taste means that you will actually look forward to taking them each day.

Try the line “Bariatric Food Expert”Take a high quality specialized bariatric multi-vitamin, take vitamin D3, take biotin.Sure, there are plenty more things that you can be taking but make sure that you start there.Once you have developed a regular pattern of taking your bariatric vitamins, you can add from there.

Reach out with any questions.I am your biggest cheerleader.

About the Author: Sheri Burkeis a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients.In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.

A lot of us have some really messed up thinking when it comes to eating after bariatric surgery.It’s the little lies we like to tell ourselves that can sabotage our results and I think it’s something that we need to discuss.This is not a rant and it is not my intention to make anyone feel bad.It is just some thoughts that come into my head that I would like to discuss in order to help you along the way to your weight loss surgery goals.You may agree with me and you may not so let the conversations begin ….

Lie :Healthy foods all of sudden become delicious after weight loss surgery.

Hello !You cannot have a bariatric surgery and then all of a sudden begin to love Kale ?If you didn’t like it prior to surgery, you are not going to like it post surgery.What we can do is train ourselves to like foods – by giving them a chance.For example, I didn’t like avocados a few years ago.I know how good they are for me and I know about their healthy fats and their high fiber content and the list goes on and on.I didn’t grow up eating them and so when I wanted to incorporate them into my diet, I needed to start slowly.I started with a quarter avocado and slowly over a year I began to eat more and more avocado.Today I can eat a half avocado all on its own with a dash of salt and a squeeze of lemon.I actually enjoy them.Who would have thought ?

In order to enjoy foods that we know are healthy for us, sometimes we just need to give them a chance.

Lie:I will never be tempted by foods that are bad for me ever again.

Here is the reality – we all have our vices.Some of us love ice cream.Some of us love gummy bears.Some of us love chips.Not one single one of us loves only spinach and kale and boatloads of mushrooms.We are human and we love to indulge in our favorite foods.Just because we have been eating healthy for a while, doesn’t mean that magically our taste buds are changed and we will never want ice-cream again? What does happen when we eat in a more healthy fashion is that we feel better.When we feel better, we want to continue feeling this way.When we eat like crap, we feel like crap.The foods that we love to indulge in become exactly that, an indulgence.We crowd out the bad stuff with the good stuff but a healthy balance includes indulgences.This is what being human is all about. Balance.

I believe that the secret to eating a healthy diet post surgery includes the occasional indulgence. I think that we need to be truly accountable and I think that we need to pay attention to the signals that our bodies send to us.I personally cannot drink most protein shakes.They upset my stomach.I find other, better ways to get my protein in.We need to build a style of healthy eating that works for us and our biochemical individuality.

Healthy eating is a life-long journey so while learning to love kale, don’t forget to stop and eat the ice-cream every once in a while also.

About the Author: Sheri Burkeis a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients.In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.